Omaha is a veritable hotbed of talent. The city’s authors and musicians routinely grace national “best seller” lists. Alexander Payne is in contention for more Academy Awards this year. Johnny Carson, Fred Astaire and Marlon Brando, legends all, at one time called Omaha home. And then there’s Chris Blinston.

Unless you happen to have a tattoo in your household, Chris Blinston may not be a household name. However, in the World of Tattoos, he is perhaps as well known as Warren Buffett is to the denizens of Wall Street. Blinston’s trek to star-status began in 1999 when he and a fellow Marine by the name of J.P. “Smitty” Smith created Big Brain Productions in Omaha. Blinston’s degrees…

We are damaging our eyesight by choosing to look at the light rather than to see with light. Taken to the extreme, looking into the light is not a good thing. No one would go outside and stare directly into the sun. Staring at length into a computer screen, television or smartphone isn’t a good thing, either.

For a couple million years, the human eye has developed by seeing the world around us in the light. Without light, we don’t see. Our world would be as starkly dark as the proverbial two crows in the bottom of a mineshaft, impossible to see.

The light by which we see is mostly from the sun. There are other natural…

Happy Full Moon in sunny Leo this next Tuesday, February 7th. Time to party with friends and expect the unexpected…MOJOPOPlanetPower.com

k AQUARIUS (1.21-2.19) Love alert! Love alert! You’re a very hot week away. It starts with the Full Moon in fiery Leo on Tuesday, February 7th. The next day, the 8th, Venus moves into fiery Aries and conjuncts your esoteric ruler, the planet Uranus, on the evening of Thursday, the 9th, at 8:29, Omax time. Be careful on Friday ’til after noon, when a retrograde Mars (perhaps too much fire?) conjuncts the Moon. Discuss the long-term effects of any relationship at dinner on Friday, and see who deserves the game ball after your own private…

This season’s most entertaining reality show is not American Idol. Nor is it The Voice or any of the other offerings from the networks’ brain trust. No, it’s the series of debates featuring Republican presidential hopefuls that have been airing on various channels since May of 2011. So far, in 25 episodes, er, debates, we’ve seen several candidates voted off the island: Pawlenty, Johnson, Bachmann, Perry, Huntsman. Oh, and the pizza guy. The cast is down to four and soon to be three.

As world developments shape the topics, fear is coming to the front. Fear of economic collapse, fear of terrorism, fear of a nuclear Iran — all are fodder for pundits’ questions and contestants’ responses. All…

Welcome into the Year of the Dragon. In our culture, dragons are subdued by swords. In other cultures, including the Mayan, dragons are tricked into compliance. Dragons represent the forces of nature. Let’s explore this year dramatically and dynamically, like a dragon. I am a high priest of nature, servant of the sun, and guardian of the twilight well. “May you never thirst.” Check out your Year of the Dragon in our expanded 2012 Preview at MOJOPOPlanetPower.com.

k AQUARIUS (1.21-2.19) Expected to unexpectedly start falling in love around February 9th, when Venus conjuncts your esoteric ruler, the planet Uranus, at 2 degrees in Aries. Could be someone (or something) born around late March. That’s when you’ll know.…

Over the past three decades, America’s curiosity and interest in traditional therapies aside from conventional medicine has grown to surprising proportions. There has always been an element of American society that investigated therapies available from alternative practitioners. But so-called alternative therapies have become almost commonplace. We are accustomed to hearing about herbal supplements, vitamin therapies, acupuncture, hypnosis and various types of massage therapies. Other areas of therapy that involve more subtle approaches have also found their way into the cultural experience. We read or hear about reiki, cranio-sacral therapy, healing touch and more. When we see terms like Rolfing, Alexander technique, feng shui or primal therapy, we may know that they have something to do with therapy but not…

When life gives you lemons, make pie. At least, that’s what Omaha-based writer/comedian, Tony Endelman, author of Randy Penny: Cordially F@#*ing with People and I Hope There’s Pie, a recently released collection of personal essays about his life, touches upon in his latest book. “I was always the class comedian, but never really the class clown. I was the kid with the witty comment. I’ve always been a huge smart ass,” says the University of Wisconsin graduate.

It’s Endelman’s apparent lifelong penchant for cheekiness that inspired a practical joke at the office. “I really wanted to (mess) with one of my bosses. So, I sent him an email (messing) with him.”